Elsbeth Season 4 Episode 5 Review: Sweet Revenge Turns Deadly

Who would have thought eating 51 donuts could kill a trained competitive eating champion? In Elsbeth Season 4, Episode 5, “All About Eats,” a champion's final sweet challenge turns deadly, with a little help from someone he thought was his biggest fan. “All you can eat” challenges and competitions are what Desi Orr does best, but his reign comes to a shocking end when Cody Baxter, an overly devoted fan turned unpaid manager, decides to take revenge. After Desi discovers that Cody has been sabotaging him, the relationship falls apart, and Cody plots his next move.

This week, Detectives Rivers and Taylor and Officer Mike Summerville return as Elsbeth uses her unusual ability to spot clues, understand a killer's thinking, and piece together a murder. From GLP-1 medication and blood pressure pills to something called “The Gaggies,” this case has plenty of unusual ingredients. We also get a little softball action along the way!

Pies the Limit: A Champion's Latest Victory

Desi Orr claims his 22nd Coney Island championship title after winning the Northeast State Fair Cherry Pie Eating Contest. With a pie-shaped award around his neck, he celebrates by beating his chest, pretending to bite into his golden pie, and shouting, “Who's the Champ? I AM!”

The crowd loves every minute of it, and Desi enjoys being the center of attention. Later, as he's leaving the event, an enthusiastic fan named Cody Baxter stops him to congratulate him on another victory. Cody praises Desi as the star of the Coalition of Competitive Eating and explains how watching him compete inspired him to enter smaller eating competitions. He wants to be part of Desi's world and even offers to help him for free. All Cody wants, he claims, is a front-row seat to the life of a champion. The flattery works, and Desi decides to give his devoted fan a chance.

Competitive Eating Takes Serious Training

Desi and Cody begin working together, and Desi explains what it takes to maintain his position as a competitive eating champion. There's much more to the sport than simply having a large appetite. He trains his jaw muscles, works to suppress his gag reflex, and practices expanding his stomach's capacity. According to Desi, the average human stomach holds only one to two liters of food, but through water cleanses and practice eating, he's trained himself to consume seven liters.

Cody is amazed by Desi's abilities, but winning competitions is only part of the business. Championships lead to brand deals, sponsorships, and national commercials, which is where the real money comes in. Desi puts that money back into his career, paying for concierge doctors, publicists, and the training necessary to maintain his winning image. Fans constantly seek his autograph, while Cody works behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly. Desi believes a champion must always stay hungry to win. During one practice session, Cody times him eating pizza and proudly announces that it's his best performance yet.

Cody's Sweet Revenge Turns Deadly

Things take a turn when Cody returns to Desi's apartment after running errands and discovers that his boss isn't interested in discussing their schedule. Desi has found pills in his backpack and demands an explanation. Desi hasn't been feeling like himself lately, and he finally noticed a bitter aftertaste in his water cleanses. He suspects Cody has been interfering with his training and is furious about the betrayal.

Cody tries to explain that he only wants to become a real winner like Desi, but Desi isn't having it. He tells Cody he'll never be a champion and threatens to report him to competitive eating leagues, state fairs, and the authorities if he ever attempts to compete. Desi throws Cody out of his apartment, ending their partnership. Cody takes one last look around before leaving, but he's clearly not ready to walk away.

That night, Cody heads to the Coney Island boardwalk and comes up with a plan. Disguised as a Dingo's Donuts fan, he blends into the crowd at one of Desi's promotional appearances. Desi is preparing to eat 50 donuts in five minutes, and Cody manages to place an additional donut on top of the stack before the tray is delivered. The competition begins, and Desi consumes 51 donuts, thrilling the audience with another victory. Unfortunately, the celebration doesn't last. Desi begins looking ill before collapsing off the stage, while Cody watches from across the room. As a doctor rushes to examine the fallen champion, Cody quietly leaves the building.

Elsbeth Investigates a Murder by Donut

Dingo's Donuts quickly becomes a crime scene as Detectives Rivers and Fleming, along with Officer Summerville, arrive to investigate. Fleming explains that Desi was one of the biggest names in competitive eating, and Summerville remembers attending championships with his father. Elsbeth arrives a little late after getting distracted by the aquarium and a cotton candy cart. She's never visited Coney Island before, and naturally, she's enjoying the experience. Summerville reminds her that cotton candy isn't appropriate at a crime scene, so she takes one last bite before throwing it away.

Summerville explains that Desmond Orr suffered cardiac arrest during the promotional event. They know how he died, but they still need to determine what caused it. Even Dingo's Donuts' mascot, Donut, witnessed the incident and is devastated. Fleming initially believes Desi may have pushed his body too far, but Elsbeth isn't convinced that this was simply the unfortunate result of an extreme eating challenge.

She notices that Desi consumed 51 donuts before collapsing, and her interest grows when she meets his visibly upset sports doctor, Dr. Lester Grosse. Dr. Grosse explains that he medically cleared Desi to participate because his corporate sponsors required it. He monitored Desi's heart condition closely and describes him as a valuable athlete with a stomach worth $6 million. The doctor worries that Desi's death could lead to lawsuits and ruin his career. Meanwhile, Elsbeth's deductive wheels are already spinning.

The Autopsy Reveals a Disturbing Discovery

Back at the precinct, Elsbeth, Detective Fleming, and Officer Summerville brief Captain Wagner on the investigation. The autopsy reveals that Desi's stomach contained jelly donuts and the equivalent of an entire bottle of Vascilipine, his prescribed blood pressure medication.

Captain Wagner immediately questions how anyone could unknowingly consume that many pills. Summerville explains that Desi ingested the medication approximately half an hour before his death, which puts it around the time of the donut challenge. The investigators begin considering whether someone deliberately poisoned the donuts. Elsbeth also discovers trace amounts of oral semaglutide in Desi's system, even though he wasn't prescribed a GLP-1 medication.

Fleming points out that the medication isn't particularly difficult to obtain, mentioning that his sister ordered some online. Elsbeth wonders why a professional competitive eater would take something intended to suppress his appetite. Captain Wagner has a question of his own: What kind of psychopath commits murder by donut? It's certainly one of the strangest cases the team has encountered, but they now have reason to believe Desi's death was no accident.

The Midtown Melee Softball Tournament Brings Some Laughs

While the murder investigation continues, Captain Wagner has another challenge on his mind. He posts a signup sheet for the NYPD softball team, which will compete in the Midtown Melee Softball Tournament against other city services.

Their precinct has a history of losing to Ladder 44, but Wagner believes this year will be different. He's determined to assemble the best team possible and insists his coaching will finally lead them to victory.

Elsbeth is immediately interested and volunteers to participate, despite never having played softball before. She's the first person to sign up, although Wagner doesn't seem particularly thrilled about what that might mean for his championship hopes. Wagner also informs Detective Fleming that he's no longer quite as spry as he used to be, so the shortstop position will go to Officer Summerville. Elsbeth suffers an injury along the way, but fortunately, she recovers in time to participate.

The Gaggies, Suspicious Medication, and Elsbeth's Latest Suspect

Back at the precinct, Elsbeth reviews footage from Dingo's Donuts while dancing along with the Donut mascot. Detective Fleming catches her enjoying herself, but she's also paying close attention to what's happening in the background.

She notices an altercation between Earl King and Desi Orr in one of the videos and suggests that they investigate. The team also questions Ben Tanaka and Cody Baxter as they continue looking into Desi's death. Cody asks Fleming to find whoever killed Desi and appears eager to cooperate. He's also joined the NYCCE and is beginning to compete in hot dog eating contests, which makes his sudden career change especially interesting.

Fleming seems to like Cody, but Elsbeth remains suspicious. She continues showing up when Cody least expects her, putting her unusual investigative style to good use. As the mystery unfolds, the clues involve everything from blood pressure medication and GLP-1 drugs to dog medication, first-grade math, and something called “The Gaggies.” It's an unusual combination, but that's exactly the kind of puzzle Elsbeth loves to solve.

Final Thoughts: Another Outstanding Episode of Elsbeth

The episode wraps up with the softball game, where Elsbeth puts her feminine wiles to good use and helps the precinct secure its first victory. The ending is genius and kookily funny, especially after everything that happened during the murder investigation.

I loved this episode! The competitive eating storyline was unusual and entertaining, the acting was great, and the direction and production work were outstanding. I also enjoyed the cute graphics at the beginning of the episode, which added another fun touch.

Elsbeth continues to deliver creative murder mysteries with plenty of humor, and “All About Eats” was no exception. Between murder by donut and Elsbeth's softball adventure, this was a really fun episode to watch.

My Rating: 4.9 out of 5 Stars

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